Shloka 3.23.15
महोत्पात-लक्षणानि (Omens before Khara’s Assault)
उल्काश्चापि सनिर्घाता निपेतुर्घोरदर्शनाः।।।।प्रचचाल मही सर्वा सशैलवनकानना।
ulkāś cāpi sanirghātā nipetur ghoradarśanāḥ |
pracacāla mahī sarvā saśailavanakānanā || 3.23.15 ||
Meteors, with thunderous crashes, fell—terrible to behold; the whole earth shook, with its mountains, groves, and forests.
Dreadful to watch were the thunderstorms and the meteors that dropped down from the sky. The earth trembled all over with mountains, groves and forests.
The verse frames adharma as destabilizing: when violence is pursued unjustly, stability—symbolized by the earth—shudders, urging a return to righteous restraint.
Heavenly and earthly disturbances erupt as the army advances—meteors fall and the ground quakes—foreshadowing defeat.
Steadfast righteousness (dhṛti) is implied: true steadiness comes from dharma, not from aggressive force.